WINNIPEG, Manitoba, March 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 3D Signatures Inc. (TSX-V:DXD) (OTCQB:TDSGF) (FSE:3D0) (the "Company" or "3DS"), is pleased to announce clinical study results which confirm that based on a swab from the inside of a patient’s cheek, its proprietary TeloView™ software platform has the ability to identify patients with Alzheimer’s disease (“AD”) and, furthermore, distinguish between mild, moderate, and severe forms of the disease. The results of this confirmatory study have been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
AD is the most common form of dementia affecting approximately five million Americans age 65 and older, as well as an estimated 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 who are afflicted with early-onset AD. AD is clinically defined as a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that involves cognitive impairment, memory loss, visual-spatial retrogression and language impairment. AD is the fifth leading cause of death for people age 65 and older.
“Current diagnostic methods are not highly specific,” commented Dr. Sabine Mai, 3DS co-founder and principal inventor. “In addition, AD is only confirmed postmortem pathologically. There is a significant need for an accurate, non-invasive biomarker that can diagnose AD and indicate disease progression, and we believe TeloView™ has the potential to answer that important call.”
In agreement with previous research, the current study demonstrated that TeloView™ software platform clearly distinguished between AD and non-AD individuals, and between mild, moderate and severe AD, and is, therefore, a promising candidate as a non-invasive AD biomarker and monitoring tool. The current confirmatory study involved a cohort of 44 age- and gender-matched healthy non-caregiver controls and 44 AD study participants. 3D telomeric profiles of buccal cells of AD patients and their non-AD controls were examined with participant information blinded to the analysis.
The Company is currently exploring opportunities to expand the scope of its AD related work with further clinical studies and to fund that work through non-dilutive or independent financing arrangements, such as a joint venture.